Railroad-crossing



E. KNAUER.

RAILROAD CROSSING.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 14. 1920.

1,364,938. Patented Jan. 11,1921. 3 2.??- -L.. E? i' a0 1 1 -g I INVENTOR ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNST KNAUER, or LOS ANGELES, oAniroRivrA, AssioNoR r0 o'r'ro H. KRUEGER, 0F

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

RAILROAD-CROSSING.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J an 11 1921 Application filed August 14, 1920. Serial No. 403,572.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNST KNAUER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Railroad-Crossing, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices disposed in railroad crossings for automatically or manually providing a passage through such crossing while forming continuous rails in the direction in which such passage is provided.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a closed surface in such automatic crossings.

Another object is to eliminate vibrations and noise while passing through such cross ing in the normal manner.

Another object is to provide means by which the gap between two intersecting rails can be closed by the possibly shortest movement of such means.

Another object is to provide a sliding member for horizontal movement within intersections of crossings having grooves of which a suitable number is normally in a position to allow a passage through the crossing while another suitable number of such grooves is turned away a short distance, the combined arrangement forming continuous rails near the first-named grooves in the direction of such provided passages; while the second-named grooves are in a position so as, by a short movement of such sliding member, to provide for a passage through the crossing somewhat crosswise to the first passage similar to the first passage, whenso set or operated.

Another object is to provide a suitable number of such sliding members in a crossing, no matter of at what angles the rails in such crossing cross.

Other objects will appear from the following description and appended claims as well as from the accompanying drawing, in which- .1

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my device.

Fig. 2 is a cross section through the ring of the device in Fig. 1, on line 22, in slightly enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of mydevice applied to a crossing in which the rails cross at about 45.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of my device in a slightly modified form, a sliding member be ng applied to a single intersection of two rails, instead of the member passing through all four intersections as illustrated in Fig. 1, such change really not amounting to any modification, since partially already necessitated'by the type of crossing illustrated in Fig. 3, it really amounts only to an apply- 1 applied to accomplish the same result.

From the following description this will be more clear. I

From the illustration in Fig. 1 it will be understood that the members6, 7, and 8 (one rail) and 9, 10 and 11 (the second rail) form a so-called track; while the members 12, 13 and 14 (one rail) and 15, 16 and 17 (another rail) form another track crossing the first track at about right angles; the most usual type of crossing.

In such crossings are usually or normally eight gaps, of which two are within the intersection of each two of the intersections of two rails, the four rails normally forming four such intersections of two rails in a crossing. But rails can also be joined in a different manner than illustrated in Fig. 1, for instance, where two rails switch off from two other rails, in which case the arrangement of the device in the manner illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 comes nearer to the requirement, as will easily be understood without further illustration.

A ring member is preferred, because such a member can be moved in any direction without leaving an opening in the surface where crossings are used.

The ringmember 18 in Fig. 1 is preferably arranged to cross through all four intersections of such crossing, as will be clear from theillustration. -The top surface of the ring-member is naturally normally flush with the top surface of the crossing rails to make an efficient or a practical automatic crossing. To allow rims of wheels to pass through the crossing, a suitable number of grooves or recesses are provided within the top surface of the ring member. These grooves are arranged so that four grooves are located near two parallel rails so as to provide for a passage through the crossing in one direction at a time while the other grooves are turned out of the way leaving material of the ring member to form a continuous track in the direction in which a passage has so been provided. For instance, the grooves 19 are all in a position to allow a passage through the crossing over the track formed by the rails 12, 13, 1a, 15, 16 and 17, while the material 01 the ringmember 18 forms the continuous rails in this direction through the crossing at the points indicated at 20. The other grooves of the name ring member are all turned out oi the way. as indicated at 21, but readyand in. a position to allow a passage through the crossing crosswise to the first-described passage over the track formed by the rails 6, 7, S, 9, 10 and 11, making only a short movement necessary, as will easily be understood from the illustration.

Rods, or other suitable members 22are shown in Fig. 1 as engaged to the ring member 18', but itwill easily be understood that any other means can be provided for operating the ring member, the main principle of this invention being the sliding member as arranged in the several views, which are practically all of equal nature.

The sectional view of the ring member 18 as illustrated in Fig. 2 is only to make the idea of the grooves 19 and 21 clearer. Otherwise this illustration is not intended to disclose any shape, form, or construction of the ring member, and it will easily be un- (lei-stood that the cross section or the construction of the ring member can be of such a form that it can be retained, guided, and operated within the surface of such crossing, and the principle of the ring member will easily be understood without further details about the construction of the ring member.

In Fig. 3, the device is applied to a crossing in which the tracks pass at another angle than at right angles as illustrated in Fig. 1. llns necessitates naturally a slightly dif- 'ferent application or arrangement of the ring member. In this illustration two rings or ring members 23 and 24: are shown, but it will easily be understood that more ring members can easily be arranged along the lines of the device as illustrated in Figs. 4. and 5. The ring member-23 in Fig, 3 is provided with grooves 25 to come into alinement along the track 26, and other grooves 27 to come into alinement along the track 28 when so operated. The ring member 2a in Fig. 3 is provided with grooves 29 to come into alinement with the track 26, and other grooves 30 to come into alinement along the track28 when so operated, as will easily be understood.

1 Of course, a crossing of the type as illustrated in Fig. 3 as well as of the type illustrated in Fig. 1 can easily be provided with the device along the lines as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. For each intersection of two rails in any kind of crossing the device ca be so arranged without materially parting from the spirit of the invention, giving each such intersection of two rails 31 and 32 an independent ring member 33 to be operated jointly to give the same result as the device when arranged along the lines as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, as will easily be understood without i urther explanation and illustration.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a railroad crossing of the class described, a suitable number of annular inc-mbers slidingly disposed through the intersections in the crossing having grooves forming a passage through the tops of the rails in one direction at a time, thematerial. of the annular members forming at the same time continuous, tread surfaces along the grooves over the rails in this direction.

2. In a railroad crossing of the class described, an annular member slidingly disposed through the intersections in the crossing having means forming a continuous tread surface in the rails forming the track in one direction at a time.

3. In a railroad crossing of the class described, an annular member slidingly disposed through the four intersections in the crossing having two grooves near each intersection so that when four of the grooves are in a position to allow a passage through the crossing in one direction the other four grooves are turned away a short distance not in alinement with the gaps crosswise to the direction in which the passage is so established at this moment, the member forming thereby a continuous tread surface in the rails forming the traclrin this direction along the first-named grooves.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ERNST KNAUER.

Witnesses JESSIE A. MANooK, J. B. ARNOLD; 

